DYNASTY: The Poly boys’ water polo team has a chance to begin one in this new Inland Valley League, and started off well by going undefeated in league play.
by Chandler Drachslin, Sports Writer
Coming into a new season, one should be bouncing with nervousness, unable to comprehend what new experiences will soon be unraveled in the adventures of upcoming games. Well… this was far from the case for the 2012-2013 boys’ water polo team. Robert Bentley (12) stated, “We all knew we would win league, especially with the new teams we faced,” There it is. Facing high expectations and delivering wins has become routine for Poly’s boys’ water polo team. After four seasons of a combined league record of 32-6, going undefeated in league this year was no surprise for the water polo program.
It was no easy victory though; the new year presented a mound of new problems which led to even better results. The squad lost nine players last year, more than half of the team, to graduation. They lost size, experience and strength, but on the bright side players like Bentley and Jonah Saenz (10) have stepped up to fill the gaping holes on the team.
Bentley embraces his roll as a team leader and strives at that position, “I like to help coordinate plays and try to get everyone involved and not be selfish with the ball.” His leadership has rubbed off on all the underclassmen and contributed to a league championship.
Freshman newcomer Zach Ritter (9) looks up to the leaders on the team to help direct a successful season, “I definitely consider Robert Bentley one of our leaders. He is one of our best players, same with Jonah. They’re good at the game and good role models for everyone else.”
The loss of seniors has allowed younger players to rise up to the challenge and adapt to the new techniques and styles of the varsity level. With less than five seniors on the team, many underclassmen have stepped up, like Ritter, Kristopher McVeigh (9), Joey Dempsey (10), Connor O’Rourke (10) and Thomas Ferrell (10), to name a few.
The team has adjusted to the change in instruction under new assistant coach Chris Knowles. The players attribute a lot of their success to their coaching staff, including head coach Mike Cardey, and their experienced strategies for developing a stronger team. “He’s tough. But that’s good. He teaches us a lot of plays and new ways to execute; they know the game so much. It’s weird.” Saenz said. The “tough” factor could possibly refer to the “hell month” the players had to participate in in August. Throughout the painstaking month the players participated in running long distances, swimming with shoes for stamina, lifting weights and doing routines of push-ups and sit-ups.
All of this shared sweat, breath and time contributes to how much respect the boys have for each other. How the players compete with each other in the pool proves to be worthwhile, Dempsey says, “We bond and work well together, we have good chemistry.”
Team leader Saenz also adds, “I love how close we are.” Well let’s hope they stay close as they soon venture out to CIF playoffs to face opponents larger and more experienced than the teams from the Inland Valley League. Some players like Dempsey already have their eyes set on a team. “I want to play Glendale or La Verne. They are some of the biggest competition,” Dempsey said. The players are focused on continuing their success into the playoffs as they proceed to advance for the sixth year in a row.
It’s coming to an end fast. We soon won’t be able to see magnificent saves from freshman goalie Kristopher McVeigh (9) or insane goals from Jack Sawa (12) and Matt Fatten (12). Will they finish the year as greatly as they started?
photo courtesy of PE.com